I was talking to a friend of mine the other day. Lucky Sue lives in the country and has a big garden, and chickens and lives the homesteading lifestyle that I am preparing for. She had just made a beautiful batch of Raspberry Jam, so I asked her to share some pictures and her recipe with me, so I could share it on my blog. She was happy to, as she has been reading my blog since the beginning.

Fill a boiling water canner half full and bring to simmer. Sterilize jars and lids

Mash raspberries completely and press through a mesh strainer to remove most of the seeds. Measure out 5 cups and place in a 6 or 8 quart saucepan.

Stir in pectin and add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to a rolling boil (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring continually. Add sugar and return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, continue stirring. Remove from heat and skim off all foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle quickly into sterile jars, leaving 1/8 headroom. Wipe jar rims and threads. Screw on sterilized two piece lids, tightly. Put jars on the elevated rack in the canner. Lower rack into canner. Make sure water is covering the jars by at least 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes. Remove from canner and place upright on a towel and let cool completely. After they are cool, press the center of the lid with a finger, if the lid spring back, the seal did not take, and you will need to reseal, or keep it in the refrigerator. Sue made a note at the bottom, which said:

In other words, now is not the time to to buy anything other than the best berries you can find. Good advice, my friend. Thanks for sharing your recipe!